A look inside Plano's Legacy Hall

UPDATE: Legacy Hall just announced that their grand opening has been pushed back and that they will no longer be hosting Fall for the Hall, the block party we were all so exited about. The good news is: they will be opening eventually. We just don’t know when, yet.

Here’s an update from the Legacy Hall Facebook page:

We have bad news. You will have to wait a little longer to visit Legacy Hall. For those of you who were planning on visiting us on the 10th and 11th for our Fall for the Hall Block Party, unfortunately we have had to cancel the event due to delays. We are very excited to present Legacy Hall and all of its goodies to our friends and neighbors soon and will keep you all updated on news of our opening.

Legacy Hall opens November 8 soon and we can’t wait. We took a look about two months ago and learned a lot about the nascent dining extravaganza and returned this morning for one last look before the hall’s grand opening.

Inside, plastic sheeting covers all of the completed stalls to shield them from the remaining construction. The hall will open on a rolling basis, meaning a couple of the stalls will still be works in progress on the hall’s opening date. The garden outside is still mostly dirt and not all of the furniture is uncovered yet. Ready-and-waiting stalls include Glazed Donuts, Whisk & Egg and Tacos Patron. Anticipation hangs as heavy in the air as sawdust does.

The design team constructed an open seating area so that people will brush elbows with strangers, sharing the experience with them, coming together under one huge, international roof.

“We expect people to sit next to people they don’t know. That’s the whole idea of the food hall,” Pat Garza, Legacy Hall president, told us.

It’s about adventure, exploration and meeting new people and new cuisines. The hall boasts international food from all over the world and a list of celebrity chefs including Tiffany Derry (Root’s Chicken Shak) and John Tesar, (Knife Burger).

The main bar on the first floor, one of the major gathering places, looks almost fully formed, as do the long cafeteria-style tables. The whole hall is eco-friendly. The utensils are biodegradable and most of the tables are refurbished and rustic. One table is actually made of old car doors.

See? Car doors. Who knew?

Duck-fat fried chicken, tacos, bratwurst, bao buns—basically all the food you’d want to eat with a beer—cluster around the bar; pizza and burgers are a stone’s throw away.

On the other side of the first floor, past the elevator and stairs, Détour stands out. This wine and charcuterie place has a white tiles domed roof, made to resemble a French subway station.

The second floor, where Sea Breeze Lobsta’ and Chowda’ House resides, looks down on the unfinished bier garten. So does the Good View bar. Comfortable chairs stand in a line at the counter, already waiting for customers.

The design team stocked the second floor with comfortable lounge areas in addition to a few more tables. They brought in a hodgepodge of ‘70s era furniture: patterned couches, a red armchair with a horse embroidered on it; an elaborate chair with golden swans for arm rests.

Up on the third floor, Unlawful Brewing is already brewing. We ventured out onto the catwalk where soon, local comedians will offer tours of Plano’s first craft brewery to guests, who can then slide down the beer slide.

While we already knew that the hall would have reversible ATMs, we learned that every single one of the cashless stalls will also take Apple Pay and Samsung Pay. Legacy Hall will also have its own app, which customers can pay through.

The food hall is progressive and a little bit edgy, elevating Plano’s culture and cuisine to a whole new level. By Front Burner Restaurant Group, this project has been two years in the making. Finally, at long last, Legacy Hall will open on November 8. Start fasting now.